Dragon and flower and towels and more

 

It was fun making this dragon bookmark designed by GaliciaBee! Her bobbin lace patterns are beginner friendly and are an excellent way to learn basic bobbin lace techniques.

Because I still need step-by-step guidance with bobbin lace, I also purchased GaliciaBee's Dragon 1 Video Course and followed her demonstration while making my dragon. 

Wow, wow, wow!!! I love the tatted flower pattern "Broosh Karen" from FairyLace. I chose colors that remind me of springtime for my brooch. It's a challenging pattern for advanced tatters. This project certainly provides plenty of practice with using a picot gauge. 

These colorful tea towels (aka bar mops, artsy rags) were all woven from the same warp. Finished after 2 years on the loom, since I don't weave very often.

An example showing 2 different brands of thread that were both labeled "size 10". Yes, both in the same pattern (my own "Duchess" necklace from "Boutique Tatting". The green was Hakelgarn brand, the black is Lizbeth. Well, fortunately the pattern still works with the larger thread, though I replaced the 2mm beads with large hole rondelles.

Finished a bracelet from my own "Heart Aglow" pattern in hand dyed thread. This item has been listed for sale in my Etsy shop here.

Entwined

A new pattern has been added to my Etsy shop! 

It's really a very simple pattern, but needed explaining with photos, and then some folks asked about the sliding knot closure option so I added that, and the pattern grew to 10 pages! 

If you can tat split rings this should be an easy one for you. I used size 10 Lizbeth thread for the demo photos, and also did one bracelet in size 20 (the narrower blue-green one). Adding beads to the center of the open split rings is an optional variation.

Also new in my Etsy shop is a batch of "Sugar Maple" hand dyed thread.

Kicking around a new bracelet idea

Began on Wednesday with a completely different idea for a stackable, not too fancy, 2 color bracelet design and somehow the result in the photo above happened. I am not sure if it's ugly, or if it's cool and interesting. Well, I'll try the next one with purples, maybe some tweaks of the design, and we'll see how that looks. ☺

Hand dyed thread batch is in progress but won't be ready until early next week. The batch will be "Peace" inspired by the Peace rose.

Speaking of roses, I simply must post this photo of one of my other roses that really posed beautifully for its photo: "Charles Darwin", one of the English roses.

Last week I added a pair of Small Maple Leaf earrings to my Etsy shop. I used red for the center of the leaf, and hand dyed thread from the "Nectarine" batch for the outside edge.

Seaside colors coming in New Year

 

Mermaid vibes, perhaps? 

This is my "Fairest" bracelet pattern tatted in size 10 Lizbeth No.715 "Maple Butter" which I think makes a nice warm, sandy beach color. Paired with aqua colored beads, it reminds me of summer days. I took a green screen shot with my smartphone against a video of Lake Michigan taken last summer. (There's an app for that!)

For this bracelet I decided to use a sliding knot closure in nylon macramé cord, laced up corset style. In my Etsy listing there is a short video showing how to put on and tighten the sliding knot by yourself.

Also recently listed a Star Capella pendant in hand dyed aqua accented with some of the Lizbeth thread. 

A new hand dyed thread batch has occurred to me, and I'll be working on that within the next few days, to be listed in the new year! I'll probably call it "Seaside" since I already have a batch with beach in the title (Beach Café). My goal is to have it gently shading from aqua to a sandy beach color. We will see how it turns out!

Wishing you all a very happy New Year!  

Hand dyed Interpretation of TotusMel's Bracelet

 Many thanks to TotusMel for generously sharing her beautiful Corsage pattern. I chose to use my hand dyed thread in size 5 and followed her pattern using a shuttle. The gauge seems to work up about the same as the needle tatted original in size 10, but with less stretch. Of course results will vary according to the thread tension of the individual, and I tat very tightly.

 Instead of the hook and eye closure used in the pattern, I added an extra ring to each side piece, attached nylon cord and finished with a sliding macrame knot.

 This unique tatting shuttle from Rita Richmond's Shuttle by Design has a picture of "Our Lady of Guadalupe". The image of the saint gave me a feeling of peace, and I needed that. 

New pattern: Heart Aglow

New pattern in my Etsy shop called "Heart Aglow".

The idea started as a motif or pendant that would be easy enough for new tatters. Then, I thought that the same pattern in smaller thread and beads would be good for earrings. My test tatter, Sue Anna suggested the bracelet idea, and so now there's a set of matching jewelry.

It's really a simple, one shuttle and ball pattern that grew into an 8 page tutorial! Easy level for tatters that know how to tat rings, chains, and joins, and good practice for tatting with beads. 

The instruction for tatting the basic motif without beads is also included. I didn't repeat the entire written directions since they're the same except without beads, but while designing it I wondered how to make the top more decorative without the bead there. After watching Usha Shah's video for Dot Picots string her innovative technique seemed like a very pretty way to finish off the top of the no beads version of the heart.

I also put this new pattern in my Craftsy pattern store. I think it's a fun heart to make, and I hope others will like it too!

Tatted Cotter Pin Links Tutorial

My tatted cotter pin link tutorial is available as a free PDF. Click HERE to download the 2 page file.

I hope you'll have fun with this technique! It's another idea to play with.

My report on wearing the bracelet for awhile:

• Using a tatted ring as a toggle loop didn't work. The toggle bar fell out. So, I added a proper metal toggle clasp, which does work well.
• The tatting tends to lengthen with wearing, so for a bracelet make it just a little bit shorter than needed. It will stretch to a comfortable size. 
• The tatted links hold their shape surprisingly well, considering that they're only fiber!  

My bracelet after wearing, with the finished clasp.

Another tatted cotter pin bracelet.

Tatted Cotter Pin Bracelet

 Here's my first completed project in "Tatted Cotter Pin Links", a new idea which I am experimenting with. It was inspired by the wire wrapping technique "Cotter Pin Chain". I'm wearing the bracelet to see how well it holds up, and then I'll report my observations. I do plan on preparing a tutorial, soon.

Outside my comfort zone with wire-wrapping

 Wire is not something I ever thought I'd do anything with. 

As a child, I used to watch my uncle pull copper wire out of old electric motors (he ran an electric motor repair service) and it wasn't pretty :) 

But while watching Aga Kruk's class "Wire-Wrapped Stones, Crystals, and Clusters" on Craftsy I was inspired by her exquisitely beautiful jewelry and decided to try some of the basics, So here is my version of the chandelier earrings project from her class. Do take a look at the overview of Aga's class with my affiliate link: 
http://www.craftsy.com/ext/MarileeRockley_62_CP 
it'll give you a discount.

I'll admit that it took me ages to be able to wrap a "simple loop" with any success (the wire-wrapping equivalent to the shuttle tatting "flip") but after that I've moved on to making findings to finish my tatted jewelry.

Grace's bracelet - design inspired by the Celtic tatting of Rozella F. Linden

The bracelet that my friend Grace commissioned me to tat for her is finished now. I wire-wrapped a toggle clasp of gold filled wire to finish it. Looking forward to her reaction at our next get-together!

Showing the wire-wrapped clasp on the bracelet.

She said, "Did you ever finish my green bracelet?"

 So, my response was, "Er, um, well... I lost the paper that I wrote your wrist measurement on, last year...or has it been 2 years? You wanted the Celtic in green with gold beads, didn't you!"

Awkward... my bad.

So, I measured her wrist with a paper napkin (we were at a restaurant) and I've started the bracelet, finally! It's for an extremely wonderful lady who does so much good for others, including collecting toys for children and driving the truck herself to an impoverished area to deliver them for Christmas. Yes, I do know a real Mrs. Santa Claus! Her first name is Grace.

I'm working on the bracelet now!

 A new batch of "Snowflake" hand dyed thread has been added to my shop on Etsy. Between that and the bracelet for Grace, I will keep out of mischief!

Garden Afternoon

Just finished dyeing more "Garden Afternoon" thread and listed it in my Etsy shop! 

I've been slowly tatting the earrings to go with the bracelet that I'm tatting from the previous "Crocus" batch of hand dyed thread. Both are my original designs, patterns featured in this book. I'm not in a rush, since it occurred to me that now I've learned some basic wire techniques from Lisa Niven Kelly's class and from Aga Kruk's class on Craftsy, I should finish up the bracelet with unique purple findings that I made myself. So, I ordered some purple wire from Edward's Jewelry Supply on Etsy, and I'm waiting for it to arrive. I've already finished the ear wires, though, as can be seen in the picture. I stay with natural niobium for those, because it's hypoallergenic.

If you're looking for a scenic spring vacation destination that includes a learn to tat class in a relaxing, rustic setting, how about my class coming up on May 2 in Shake Rag Alley? Still a few seats left in the class as of this writing.

New pattern! "Devotion" Tatted Jewelry Set

People have asked, here it is!

It's my original design that was featured in the magazine "Belle Armoire Jewelry" Winter 2015. This is a more detailed version, with complete directions and diagrams for the bracelet and earrings as well as the necklace motif. Instant download for sale on Etsy and Craftsy.

The 9 page file includes: 

• Written instructions in English for necklace, bracelet, and earrings
• List of supplies needed, 
• In-progress photographs, 
• Diagrams with stitch counts 

This pattern has been designed for shuttle tatting. It may be needle tatted, but the directions only show shuttle tatting. 
By the way, I teach an online shuttle tatting video course on Craftsy: 
www.craftsy.com/ext/MarileeRockley_89_H 

"Crocus" colors in hand dyed thread

These vigorous spring colors were inspired by crocus flowers. No crocuses in bloom around here yet but looking forward to seeing them any day now. They come in bright yellow and various shades of purple, with orange stamens and narrow, bright green leaves, so I put those colors in thread.

Started a bracelet with my new thread :) 
The design is my own, inspired by the dimensional look of Ankars but is not Ankars method, just tatting with the beads worked in while making. The pattern is called Concoction and is found in my book, Marilee's Beaded Tatting Finery. 

I have just enough purple beads left to make matching earrings. But, I like that purple very much, so I guess I'll have to buy more! They're Czech pearl-coated glass druk, one of my favorite types of beads to use in tatted jewelry.

About the heart bracelet

The Belle Armoire Jewelry winter 2015 issue shows my original tatted jewelry set including necklace, earrings, and bracelet, but since the bracelet is modeled the sides aren't shown. So here's a photo of the complete bracelet.

I've done some experimenting with clasps. I like toggle clasps because they're easy to close. I know that a lobster claw clasp allows for more adjusting, but personally I have a terrible time trying to fasten a lobster claw clasp on a bracelet. So, I look for easier solutions.

On the white bracelet I discovered that the t-bar fits perfectly into the lace. So, the bracelet can be snugged up tighter by pulling the t-bar through the toggle loop, then hooked into the lace.

By the way, the wire wrapped toggle clasp on the white bracelet I made myself! I'm enjoying learning some basic wire wrapping skills from 2 Craftsy classes that I signed up for:
"Wire-Wrapped Stones, Crystals, and Clusters" by Aga Kruk
"Make Your Own Wirework Findings" by Lisa Niven Kelly